mans xiii. 10. And as the moral law is a law of love: fo Chrift hath declared that it is by this law, every man fhall be tried; every man fhall be approved or condemned, rewarded or punished, according as he has, or has not conformed his affections and actions to this law of love. Then (viz. at the day of judgment) fhall the King fay to them on his right hand, Come ye bleed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world. For I was (in mine and your needy brethren) an hungred, and ye gave me meat: &c. And then fhall be fay also to them on his left hand, Go ye curfed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat, &c. Christ as a righteous judge will approve or condemn, reward or punish, every man according as there has been an antecedent fitnefs, or unfitnefs, worthiness, or unworthiness in the perfon judged. And this judgment is to be confidered, not as an arbitrary inftitution, or a particular appointment of God, in these latter ages: but as a part of the original fcheme of providence, when this world was first called into being. This is evident, from what Chrift faith of that kingdom, which the righteous fhall inherit, viz. that it was prepared for them from the foundation of the world. So that God will judge the world, not because he has declared in and by the gofpel of Jefus Chrift that he will do it; but he has declared in and by the gospel that he will do it, because it is fit and reasonable that he fhould, and because he originally purpofed fo to do.

SECT.

H

SE C T. VI.

Aving shewn in the three preceding fections, what is the true gofpel of Jefus Chrift; or what is that doctrine of life and falvation, which Chrift himself preached, which likewife it behoved him to preach; or which the circumftances of things required that he should preach, as he was fent to be the Saviour of the world; and which therefore is ftrictly and properly called the gospel, or the good news: I now therefore beg leave to fhew, in one or two inftances, what is not that gofpel. And,

First, the gospel of Jefus Chrift is not an hiftorical account of matters of fact. As thus. Chrift fuffered, died, rofe from the dead, afcended into heaven, &c. Thefe are biftorical facts, the credibility of which arifes from the ftrength of thofe evidences which are, or can be offered in their favour: But then, thofe facts are not the gospel of Jefus Chrift, neither in whole, nor in part. Luke vii. 22. Go your way, and tell John what things ye have feen and heard, how that the blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf bear, the dead are raifed, to the poor the gofpel is preached, &c. Here we fee that the gofpel was preached to the poor by Chrift himfelf, antecedent to the tranfactions I now refer to; and therefore thofe facts, or any doctrines founded upon them, (fuch as that of Christ's fatisfaction, or that of his interceffion, or the like) cannot be any part of that gospel.

Thus

Thus again. Chrift turned water into wine, gave fight to the blind, feet to the lame, life to the dead, &c. Thefe are facts, which though they were proper to awaken the attention of his hearers, and to give weight to his preaching and miniftry; yet the history of them is no part of his gofpel. The hiftory of thefe facts, when well attefted, may be offered, as an evidence of the Divinity of Chrift's miffion; but then this hiftory, as far as it is an hiftory of fuch facts only, can be no part of that miffion; and confequently can be no part of Chrift's gofpel. This is evident, from the text I before quoted, Luke vii. 22. Where the working of miracles, and preaching the gospel to the poor, are by Chrift confidered and reprefented as two different things. The gospel of Jefus Chrift, was that doctrine which he preached (the fum of which I have already confidered), and not any hiftory of facts, which relate either. to his perfon or miniftry. Befides, thofe facts are fuch, as the falvation of mankind are not primarily and immediately, but only fecondarily and mediately concerned with; and therefore they are no part of Chrift's gofpel.

Thus again. St Peter faith, that Christ went and preached to the Spirits in prison, which fometime were difobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah. 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. This is a fhort but dark branch of history, or a relation of a matter of fact, which relation has puzzled the heads of many enquirers to find out it's true meaning; though it is a matter of no concern to us, what is meant by it, or how St Peter came by his information, or whether the F

relation

relation given be true, or false; feeing it is no part of the gospel of Chrift, and it is what the faving mens fouls is not concerned with.

Thus again. St James (as in chap. v. 17, 18.) relates it as a matter of fact, viz. that Elias prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and fix "months. And he prayed again; and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. And according to St James's reprefentation of the ftory, the cafe feems to be, not only that this great drought was brought upon the land, in confequence of the prophet's prayer; but also that the prophet's prayer was the produce of his paffon and refentment. Elias was a man fubject to like paffions as we are, and he prayed earnestly, &c. Now, whether St James received that part of the hiftory, vis. that the three years and a half's drought upon the land, and then the giving of rain, was the effect of the prophet's prayer; I fay, whether St James received this by tradition from the Jeres, (for it does not appear to be fupported by the hiftory of thofe times) or how he came by his information, or whether it be true in fact, or not, it maketh nothing to us; feeing it is no part of the gofpel of Jefus Chrift, and it is what the faving of our fouls is not in the least concerned with. Again,

Secondly, the gospel, of Jefus Chrift is not any particular private opinion of any, or of all the writers of the hiftory of his life and miniftry; nor any private opinion of any, or of all thofe whom he fent out to publish his gospel to the world; nor is any of their reafonings, or conclufions founded on, or drawn from fuch opinions,

any

any part of that gofpel. Thus St John begins his hiftory, John i. 1, 2, 3. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Thefe propofitions, for any thing that appears to the contrary, are only the private opinion of St John, who wrote the hiftory of Chrift's life and miniftry, and they are no part of Chrift's gofpel; viz. that gofpel which he preached to the poor, and which he gave in charge to his Apoftles to publish to the world. And therefore, whether Chrift was the Logos, or Word, whether he was with God, and was God, or whether he made all things in the fenfe, in which St John ufeth thofe terms, or not, is of no confequence to us; because these points are no part of Chrift's gofpel, and they are what the falvation of mankind is not in the leaft concerned with. Whether Chrift pre-existed, or not; or whether he was the agent employed by God in making this vifible world, or not; are points, which do not affect the faving of mens fouls at all; it being fufficient for us to know, that he was the fent of God, and that the word of the Lord in his mouth was truth. This I fay, is fuflicient for us to know with regard to our falvation; and therefore whether the fore-mentioned propofitions are truths, or not; is of no confequence to us in that refpect. Befides, we do not know what was the ground and foundation of St John's opinion, with refpect to thofe points, and therefore, we cannot poffibly form a judgment, whether his opinion was well-grounded, or not; and confequendy

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